Miss Findependent

We start at the very beginning. Who was Samuel Bankman-Fried, mainly known by his initials SBF? How did he build his crypto fortune? Did he always come from money?

In this week’s episode of The Miss Findependent Podcast, I get into all of this and more. 

This isn’t some fluff piece. This is the full story… with updates from his employees, details about his political involvement, and some insight into what shaped him to be the man he is today. 

SBF comes off as a big philanthropist, guided by his belief in altruism. Some say philanthropist. I say fraudster. 

SBF single handedly loses his fortune of $17.2 Billion, declares a chapter 11 bankruptcy, and causes thousands of people to lose not only their hard earned money, but also their faith in crypto. 

In case you haven’t heard of SBF - Sam Bankman-Fried is an entrepreneur and former founder/CEO of FTX, FTX.US, and Alameda Research, but if this story is the titanic, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Here’s what we get into in detail:

1:55 - Who is Sam Bankman-Fried

5:14 - Arbitrage

6:53 - How does SBF become a Billionaire?

9:00 - Scaling FTX

14:20 - The Bahamas

15:40 - The Downfall of FTX

25:35 - The Residual Impact

31:33 - SBF Political Involvement

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

Every time I see someone pay for something with a debit card, and they’re above the age of 18, I cringe on the inside. 

Credit cards are not evil. 

In fact, credit cards can be an incredible tool that help you build credit history which is essential for every single adult. 

Outside of that, they also have AMAZING perks ranging from insurance,  letting you travel for free, giving you cash back to help pay for your balance. 

In this episode I go through the different types of credit cards, and the most common types of benefits that most people don’t know about. 

Here’s what I get into in detail: 

5:27 - How do you choose the right card?

6:30 - Student Cards

7:02 - Business Cards

7:18 - Store Cards

10:12 - Cash Back Cards

12:36 - Travel Cards

17:32 - Rewards Cards

25:11 - Rental Car Insurance

26:35 - Mobile Device Insurance

28:32 - Purchase Insurance

31:22 - Airport Lounges

Credit Karma

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

To rent or to buy… the age old question 

A lot of millennials have stopped asking the question because they feel buying real estate is far out of reach. 

And on top of that, there’s so much societal pressure that suggests renting is burning cash, and owning real estate is like a right of passage for adulthood. I debunk both of these myths. 

Personal finance is.. Personal. Buying or renting is a conscious decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Buying real estate can be a great tool for wealth, but if buying is out of reach, or you’re living in a highly overvalued market, renting and investing the difference, when done strategically can pay massive dividends… literally, like if you invest an amount equal to a downpayment in dividend paying stocks.

There’s a lot of costs associated with buying outside just saving for a downpayment. There’s mortgage payments, transaction costs, interest….

In this episode I break down common misconceptions, and quantify exactly what the criteria is to be approved for a mortgage. 

I break down how to save for a downpayment, how long it’ll take in specific markets assuming you are saving 10% of your income monthly.

I dive into different scenarios and show you where it makes more financial sense to rent vs. buy, and how to run the calculations.

Here’s what I get into: 

4:53 - Rent vs. buying situations

10:00 - How to save for a downpayment

11:52 - How mortgages are calculated

17:28 - GDS and TDS ratios

26:07 - Building Equity

27:46 - Price-to-Rent ratio

33:43 - Opportunity cost

Housing Affordability NBC

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode, I sit down with Viler Lika, the founder and CEO of SingleKey, which takes the stress out of renting. It helps landlords find the right tenants, and helps manage the risks that come with renting - serving both the landlord, and the tenant. They’re like a bridge that makes managing that relationship easier. It’s a platform that I use myself, and that’s why I was really looking forward to this conversation. 

I met Viler a couple years ago and have seen his business grow and evolve. It’s an incredible platform and Viler has so much insight into the rental market, stemming from his daily conversations with customers. He’s incredibly in-tune with challenges both landlords and tenants face, and that’s mainly what we dive into here. 

A little bit about Viler… he holds an MBA from Ivey Business School and a computer engineering degree from the University of Toronto. Prior to Single Key, he led a data science team at TD bank in consumer credit, and started his career in Credit Risk at Capital One. He is an experienced entrepreneur having successfully founded and exited a previous company. Viler is passionate about innovation in the financial sector and the disrupting power of FinTech.

Here’s what we get into: 

2:20 - What’s Going on In The Rental Market

10:42 - Defining Proptech

12:03 - How SingleKey Started

17:04 - Rent Guarantee for Landlords

21:48 - Landlord Fraud

27:29 - Know Your Rights as a Tenant

38:40 - Standard Rent Agreements

47:41 - Adding Supply To the Market

49:06 - Pay Rent and Build Credit History with SingleKey

Connect with Viler:

Learn More on SingleKey's Website

Connect with SingleKey on Instagram

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode, I sit down with Alyssa Atkins, the founder and CEO of Lilia, the most enjoyable egg freezing experience in the world. Lilia is is on a mission to bring reproductive freedom to every woman by making egg freezing affordable, accessible, and convenient. Alyssa raised Lilia's first round of funding in 5 weeks with no product, deck, or website, and went on to gain backing from Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's most prominent investor.

Alyssa and I, like many women, were sick of doing the dating math.

“If I want to grow my career, scale my business, achieve XX by XX date… I need to find my husband by XX, get married by XX, have baby #1 by XX.” 

As women, questions around fertility are some of our most common sources of stress. Everybody usually means well, but asking a woman when she’s planning to have kids, when she’s not fully ready is frustrating to hear, to say the least. 

One of my favorite Alyssa quotes from the episode: 

“Society is still very prescriptive in the sense that we are expected to: go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, and then have kids. That’s just not how it works anymore. Women are more discerning in their partners, we’re focusing on our careers, and taking more time… and our biology has not caught up.” 

The incredible thing is… there’s a solution to this pain and frustration that buys an immense feeling of FREEDOM and peace of mind. 

It’s called egg freezing, or embryo freezing, and I’m currently in the process of doing both. 

Alyssa and I get into the nitty gritty details of how both processes work, the costs, and how egg freezing can benefit entrepreneurial, goal-oriented women, by giving them TIME to do the things they want.

Here’s more of what we get into: 

1:56 - How Lilia Was Born

9:37 - Rewiring The Narrative 

11:21 - Why Alyssa Left Her Job to Grow Lilia

16:56 - Going After Venture Capital

21:23 -  Egg Freezing For Entrepreneurial Women

26:15 - Why I Decided To Freeze My Eggs

29:00 - The Shocking Truth About Fertility

37:20 - The Steps and Costs

44:26 - Eggs vs. Embryos

49:39 - Why Lilia

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Please share with your family or friends that might benefit from this as well.

Connect with Alyssa:
 
Learn More on Lilia's Website
Learn More on Forbes

Connect with Alyssa on Instagram

Connect with Alyssa on Twitter

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

Do you ever have social anxiety and get nervous about presenting or meeting new people?

Same girl same, I get this all the time. When I have to go on stage. And even when I see people walking towards me on the street, or when I have to go on stage. 

In this episode I walk you through a quick breathing exercise that helps you lower your heart rate and get rid of the adrenaline you feel before communicating at a larger scale. 

I also dive deep into communication techniques and tips that will help you become impeccable with your word and deliver your message with ease and clarity. 

Here’s what I get into in detail: 

5:40 - The Key is Luv

13:10 - The 4 People You’ll Meet

22:08 - Dealing with Social Anxiety

22:49 - Body Language

24:56 - Mastering Your Emotions

DISC Personality Test: 

https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

For all you guys asking, begging, coercing me into sharing my skincare routine… fine. Fine… I’ll share it with you. 

This is my secret to having clear, dewy, and hydrated skin. 

I hate how consumer culture focuses more heavily on which products people put on their skin, rather than how they organize their finances… but if that’s what it takes to get your attention, to make looking at your financial systems fun, so be it. 

Skin care is important, don’t get me wrong. It’s the largest organ in the body. But your financial systems are equally if not, more important. They’re what set you up for success, or add unnecessary financial stress that causes you to age prematurely. 

And nobody. Nobody. Needs unnecessary wrinkles. 

We’re trying to age with grace here. With grace, and with a FAT retirement account. 

When it comes to skincare, I’m a pretty lazy person. In fact on a daily basis I only use a few products (cleanser, moisturizer, SPF, and sometimes, when I’m not super lazy, eye cream). 

But on a weekly basis (or monthly), let’s be real. I add in a few extra things, like exfoliant and serums that keep me looking glow-y. 

So… are you ready for your financial glow up?

Here’s the secret: 

8:46 - Step 1: Cleanser

16:52 - Step 2: Exfoliating

21:38 - Step 3: Toner

26:15 - Step 4: Eye Cream

33:45 - Step 5: Moisturizer

37:10 - Step 6: SPF

41:05 - Step 7: Facials 

Huberman Lab Episode:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ebY3WNejLNbK47emgjd1E?si=f232f2ae099b4a7c

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

From Forex and crypto trading to binary options, financial scams are everywhere and scammers are praying on the uneducated, money-driven individuals who engage in online communities.  

The content behind this episode is sparked by my recent experience being impersonated. Instagram is currently investigating the account, however this is not the first time this has happened. Scam artists thrive on social media because they’re able to quickly build trust and target a specific audience. 

Friendly reminder - I will never DM you on any platform asking you how your trading is doing, or to ask you for money. I only ever ask my fiance for money, and even that’s in the rare instance when I need to get my nails done and don’t have cash on hand. 

In this episode I go over how to avoid falling into the trap of being taken advantage of financially. I bring to light the most common types of scams and teach you how to point them out. 

Here’s what I get into in detail: 

2:15 - Why scammers love social media

7:38 - Investing in Gold

12:32 - Crypto Scams

15:41 - Binary Options

19:08 - Forex Scams

22:26 - Pump & Dump Schemes

25:50 - Retirement Savings Unlocking Scheme

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

Robots are everywhere. They clean your house, they can drive you to work. They can even make investment decisions for you. Not literal humanoid robots like the ones Elon Musk said are going to be featured in every home, but AI versions that can make automated investment decisions based on your risk profile and preferences. 

In this episode I break down what robo-advisors are, how they came to be, and how they work. I break down the benefits of using one vs. making investment decisions yourself and compare the top 4 robo-advisors in Canada. 

Here’s what I get into: 

3:25 - Where did Robo-Advisors come from?

5:50 - How Robo-Advisors work

8:45 - Why use a Robo-Advisor

11:20 - What do Robo-Advisors invest in?

14:15 - Benefits of using a robo-advisor

25:20 - Comparing robo-advisors in Canada

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]

Short term rentals & Airbnb arbitrage has been all the craze. In this episode I chat with Sarah Glidewell and Emily Karnaz - The KarWells and we get into how lucrative this space really is, and actionable tips for how to get in the Airbnb game. 

Here’s what we get into: 

1:49 - The KarWells

3:39 - Dealing With Conflict

6:19 - B.C. (Before Covid)

11:11 - Vetting Guests & Investments

16:24 - Airbnb Arbitrage

20:15 - Designing an Airbnb

23:47 - Tips For Building Your Airbnb

Stay Tuned! 

SuperHost Labs - Part 2 Coming Soon

Learn more: Short Term Rentals 101

✩ CONNECT WITH SARAH & EMILY: ✩ 

The Karwells on TikTok

The Karwells on IG

✩ CONNECT WITH ME: ✩

Instagram: @missfindependent

TikTok: @nikafarb

Learn more at missfindependent.com

For contact or business inquiries: [email protected]